Sorption system

Abstract

A system in which an incoming fluid stream containing a polar impurity is separated into a stream rich in impurity and a stream weak in the impurity. A hot fluid stream is cooled. A solid sorbent system extracts the impurity from the cool zone and returns it to the hot zone. A side stream carries off impurity which accumulates between the zones.

The invention having been thus described, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is: 
     
       1. An adsorption system for removing an impurity from a hot fluid stream, comprising: (a) a cooler placed in the stream,   (b) a first body of sorbent placed in the stream, upstream of the cooler,   (c) a second body of sorbent in the stream, downstream of the cooler,   (d) first means for exchanging the positions of the bodies relative to the stream, the means including a drum rotatable on an axis, the drum being divided into a plurality of flow paths which pass through its geometric axis and through which the stream passes, and   (e) a slip stream means for extracting a portion of the stream from between the bodies of sorbent.   
     
     
       2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the paths are generally perpendicular to the axis. 
     
     
       3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the drum carries the sorbent. 
     
     
       4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the drum is enclosed in a shell and driving means is provided to rotate the drum with respect to the shell in a continuous preselected pattern, the drum having a plurality of separated, axially spaced path levels, at least two of the levels controlling separate parts of the stream. 
     
     
       5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein the shell has levels corresponding to those of the drum, at least one level of the shell having a first set of at least two openings and a second set of at least two openings, and rotation of the drum causes simultaneous communication between all of the openings in each set but never communication between the sets. 
     
     
       6. An adsorption system for removing an impurity from a fluid stream, comprising: (a) a first body of sorbent,   (b) a second body of sorbent,   (c) a control means which controls the flow of streams through the bodies and controls activations of the bodies, the means including a drum rotatable on an axis, the drum being divided into a plurality of flow paths which pass completely through the drum along a line through and perpendicular to the geometric axis of the drum, the stream passing through the paths from time to time.   
     
     
       7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the drum carries the sorbent. 
     
     
       8. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the drum is enclosed in a shell and driving means is provided to rotate the drum with respect to the shell in a continuous preselected pattern, the drum having a plurality of separated, axially spaced path levels, at least two of the levels controlling separate parts of the stream. 
     
     
       9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the shell has levels corresponding to those of the drum, at least one level of the shell having a first set of at least two openings and a second set of at least two openings, and rotation of the drum causes simultaneous communication between all of the openings in each set but never communication between the sets.